Seattle Cop Smuggled Marijuana To East Coast, FBI Says

SEATTLE, WA - The Seattle police officer arrested over the weekend in a drug bust made an initial appearance in federal court on Monday. Officer Alex Chapackdee, 44, was one of four men arrested Saturday on charges of conspiring to distribute marijuana. Details released in court records Monday allege that Chapackdee helped the organization smuggle narcotics and cash between Seattle, Baltimore, and Washington, DC.

Appearing alongside Chapackdee Monday were fellow defendants Tuan Van Le, Phi Nguyen, and Samath Khanhphongphane. The FBI alleges that Tuan Van Le, Chapackdee's brother-in-law, was in charge of the organization.

Chapackdee was a member of the department's South Precinct Community Police Team, and worked in the Rainier Beach, Rainier View, Brighton, and New Holly neighborhoods. The Seattle police department, which helped the FBI, DEA, and Department of Homeland Security investigate the case, has placed Chapackdee on administrative leave without pay. Chapackdee worked as a Seattle police officer for 16 years.

Seattle police Chief Kathleen O'Toole released a statement about the case on Monday calling the officer's conduct "disgraceful and disappointing."

“The charges that were filed today are the result of a coordinated investigation involving SPD, FBI, HSI and DEA. While always disturbing to investigate one of our own, I am proud of the detectives and commanders who worked diligently on this case," O'Toole said.

According to court documents, Chapackdee was a member of what the FBI calls the "Tuan Van Le Drug Trafficking Organization." Among other activity, Chapackdee was allegedly paid $10,000 per month to oversee marijuana grow operations in the Seattle area, and was paid $15,000 to transport cash from drug sales from the Baltimore area back to Seattle.

According to charging documents:

• The FBI first learned of the drug organization in July 2015 from a confidential informant. The informant told the FBI that Tuan Van Le and "6-10 other Asian individuals" would fly from Seattle to Baltimore-Washington International Airport to facilitate the sale of cocaine. The drugs were transported to New York in a truck, and then divvied up, with a portion sent to Maryland. The informant also told the FBI that Tuan Van Le has a brother-in-law who works in law enforcement, and who provides Le with information about investigations that might affect his drug operation.
• In May 2016, the informant provided the FBI with pictures of Chapackdee and told investigators that Le had switched to using family members exclusively to transport drugs. The informant alleged that Chapackdee, along with Nguyen and two others, would drive cash from drug sales from Maryland back to Seattle.
• The FBI obtained Chapackdee's travel and financial records, which showed that he regularly made one-way flights to Baltimore, and used his debit card at gas stations along I-90 and I-94.
• The FBI obtained a wiretap on Chapackdee's phone. They used the wire to track a trip Chapackdee allegedly made in September 2016 from Seattle to Baltimore. The FBI also tapped Le's phone, and used it to track both men to a hotel in the Baltimore area. Meanwhile, FBI agents on the ground observed an RV registered to Chapackdee parked at the hotel.
• In October 2016, surveillance footage of Chapackdee's home showed him loading the RV with various bags and boxes, which the FBI suspects were filled with marijuana. Chapackdee then drove the RV to Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia. Investigators observed similar trips in November 2016 and January and March 2017.
• In April, investigators observed the alleged members of the drug organization unloading boxes at the home of a Maryland man who was known to police - he had two prior federal drug convictions. Police later stopped the man as he left his home in Maryland; a search of his and another vehicle turned up 184 pounds of marijuana, which the FBI believes was part of a delivery from Le and Chapackdee . That man became a second confidential informant, and began recording his phone conversations with Le. Those conversations allegedly confirm that Le fronted the drugs to the second informant in exchange for payment, according to the FBI.

Le, Chapackdee, and the other two defendants will remain in detention until bail hearings scheduled for the end of this week.

Outside the federal courthouse in downtown Seattle Monday, Chapackdee's attorney, David Gehrke, said that Chapackdee was shocked by the arrest. He also added that Chapackdee "loved" being a police officer, especially his role as a community liaison.

In February, Chapackdee posted a message on the neighborhood social media app NextDoor introducing himself to neighborhoods in south Seattle. He noted that he was on limited duty at the time due to an injury, but promised to respond residents as soon as he could.

"I jus [sic] wanted to introduce myself to the neighborhood. I am assign [sic] as your neighborhood Community Police Team (CPT) out of the South Precinct," he wrote. "Ofc April Howard and I will team up to work hard making sure that your neighborhood is safe and beautiful."

Image via Seattle police